Friday, September 15, 2017

Sometimes A Bathtub Resurface Makes More Sense

By Betty Brown


Anyone with dreams of owning an old farmhouse and turning this money pit into a palace may run across an old claw-foot porcelain tub. For some years, these were mistakenly regarded as an eyesore, and literally thrown into the dump where they are lost forever. The truth is, getting a bathtub resurface can bring such gems back from the dead, and preserve an antique.

Porcelain tubs used to be the standard in all construction, going back to the days before most people had running water. During the 1970s and 1980s, porcelain was replaced by acrylic and fiberglass. There were some benefits to this change, one of which is that old houses with porcelain tubs are highly valued items within a home now.

The weight of the old tubs was unwieldy, as they were really made of cast iron and the porcelain was baked on. In homes with second-story baths, this can present real problems with the tub sagging and becoming unstable, even unsafe over time. The acrylic garden tubs were first introduced by the manufactured housing market, and eventually became standard.

These days people often shower most often, and some see no sense in owning tubs at all. Newer houses often have only one tub, even if there are two ore more full bathrooms built on the house. When apartment shopping, it is an item that must be inquired upon, as one who does appreciate a hot bath may be very disappointed with having only a small shower.

With home improvement being a popular concept, many people will replace these old tubs and sinks with acrylic Jacuzzi tubs. In fact, getting a kit that fits over an existing tub/shower combination just might save a lot on a refurbishing budget. With this push to make everything new, many of these antique tubs have been tossed, left in the yard, or otherwise forgotten.

If you own a home built in the 1960s or prior, then you just might have one of these claw-footed gems. Rather than throwing it out, you can easily purchase a kit which resurfaces the porcelain, making it smooth and beautiful again. This is a much better plan for a home accent that is quickly becoming a thing of the past, and at the very least is a valuable antique.

If the tub is extremely rare and worthy, one can have it refurbished by the pros. They will sandblast the surface inside and out, and create a whole new coating that just might rival the beauty of the original. While the old-style of baking on the porcelain is no longer used, there are still composite materials which are being used to make these tubs look like they are covered in marble.

For those sad individuals who threw out a claw-foot tub, it is probably a sore subject. These antiques go for thousands of dollars, sometimes being valued that high when they have not been maintained. For those who do not wish to be bothered with any refinishing, they can still find eager antique collectors and dealers willing to show up, cash in hand.




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